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Are the transferable benefits of traditional martial arts becoming too focused on well-being, neglecting the core values that set them apart from other athletes and humans?
How can we balance modern desires with the martial components that once kept humility and hope in equal measure?
Many have remarked on the contrast between humankind’s past and present experiences. We have all heard them and honestly might have said them ourselves. The lack of common curiosity, responsibility, and work ethic is often seen to be replaced by a sense of entitlement and lack of care. Unfortunately, these perspectives have not spared the martial arts world. They have entered gradually in various ways.
Some training culture lore is learned through experience, while others are expected to be explained over time.
I overheard a question recently regarding sharing space while training on the dojang floor, and my brain was overloaded as what I would see as a guideline was defined as a rule. The explanation seemed ego-driven and overlooked the root lesson I was taught: awareness and responsibility. The individual said the senior-ranked student had the right to take over more space and squeeze the other students into a smaller training area. My first instinct was to question what happened to body awareness and adjusting oneself versus forcing others to adapt to your presence. My second was to ask why I, one of the senior-ranked students, often get pushed into smaller training areas because the others want to keep their training space the same.
Then, this conversation came to be. I began wondering how rules became twisted to the point of manipulation or to excuse selfish behavior rather than promote a life lesson expected from martial arts training. I began looking at my own life and wondering when I stopped bowing onto the floor and started standing still and taking a moment of silence to set my mind right and look onto the floor so as not to disturb. I started going through the why behind these expectations of the past 34 years to see when they became rules and others became guidelines.
Examples include who picks up the pads after class, who is allowed to sit in chairs while wearing a belt, if I knock you into the wall, whose fault is it that the wall got hit, and how to ask for clarification about a technique between instructors…
When I started training in 1989, these examples were never questioned. They instilled expectations that could be applied to both my world and the training world. I knew not to wear my uniform outside. If I had to, I would remove my belt except for environmental classes, parades, or demos. I knew that if I were to sit in a chair, I would take my belt off first. I would get up for an elder, an injured individual, a woman with children. I knew I would have push-ups in the future if I were not aware of my surroundings or the amount of power behind my techniques. I learned to avoid challenging the judges at the competition and to walk behind them, never in front. I knew that when two instructors had different opinions, it was not a matter of who was wrong or right. They wanted me to experience and see because they had different focuses. I learned to communicate and ask questions without attacking the instructor’s autonomy.
Were these rules? Guidelines? Or simply expectations?
Definition Of Rules
rules (plural noun) · Rules (noun)
- One of a set of explicit or understood regulations or principles governing conduct within a particular activity or sphere.
Definition Of Guideline
guidelines (plural noun)
- A general rule, principle, or piece of advice.
Definition Of Expectation
Expectations (plural noun)
- A strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future.
In my humble opinion, they began as rules, became unsaid expectations, and now are being treated as mere guidelines. How I was raised was enhanced by how I was trained. The responsibility for these teachings appears to have become a myth, overlooked when explaining martial arts to newcomers. It’s like discovering a hidden step in a staircase only after stumbling. Individuals accustomed to the stairs jump over it and assume everyone else will figure it out.
The rule should be that if you see someone needing help, you support them. If that means standing up versus sitting, you can even sit on the floor. If it means giving up a chair, you give up the chair.
The rule should be to take care of your uniform. Respect it not just as an inanimate object but because of the people who purchased it for you, for those who will be training with you, and for those you are representing. If that means your change at the school, you change at the school. If that means you come wearing just your uniform pants, then come just wearing your pants and put your belt and top on at the school.
The rule regarding who is going to be putting away the pads. If you used it, put it away. Don’t rely on somebody else. If you are capable, you are qualified. The strongest leader doesn’t rely on others. They lead by doing what is necessary.
Does this mean that we won’t make mistakes? No, we are only human. I may need a break, and sometimes, I may forget, requiring someone to assist me. We can, however, get out of our way, be the best version of ourselves, and choose actions that bring light into the world.
As I said, we’re human.
Love does, and Black Belts do.
If a student were to ask what else should be told to another student to prevent them from unintentionally getting into trouble due to a lack of knowledge, how would you respond?
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